Ah, summer, what power you have!
by Cearlya
Summary: Just some fun in the sun with our favorite non-canon pair.


The second in my Hermione/Draco AU, which begins in Surviving Draco Malfoy. It is not necessary that you read the first, but it helps to understand how this all came about rather than I was watching too many soaps and decided to write fluff. Cheers, have fun reading.

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_Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.  
-- Russel Baker

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I don't know why I let him talk me into this. Granted, we did happen to have the day off from work at the same time, and it was rather nice out. I can feel the pressure of his eyes boring into my back as I slipped my t-shirt off, leaving me quite exposed. I could already feel the sun crisping my skin as I hastily applied suntan lotion. Soft fingers found my skin and I almost jumped as hands, more gentle than I ever would have imagined, smoothed the creamy skin saver over my back. I sat down on the towel, propping one leg up and rested my chest against it as I stretched to get the lotion between my toes. I chanced a look over my shoulder to see what he was doing to protect his incredibly fair skin from the sun.

Nothing. He was staring at me with that terribly endearing lopsided grin that he saved for me and me alone.

"You know I was having doubts about this whole beach thing, seeing as I didn't think you would take the time to look up magical ways to keep from sunburn." He was smirking now, the lopsided grin vanished, thank god. It always made my heart beat a little funny. He plucked the bottle out of my hands. "Trust the muggles to come up with something like an oily lotion to do the same thing."

"You don't have to use it." I grabbed the bottle away from him. "You can do whatever you normally do that makes you come back from holiday looking like its the middle of winter."

"Porcelain skin is a sign of good breeding. I work very hard on not getting a tan." He waggled his eyebrows at me and smirked. I had to struggle not to giggle as he poured out a bit onto his hands and started to put it everywhere other than where it was supposed to go. "I send first years out to do my bidding, cast complicated charms to reflect the sun and be sure to look at you only with sunglasses on when you smile."

"Very funny." I growled, taking the bottle back from him and smiled as he stared at his now oily hands in dismay.

"You do have lovely teeth, you know. After you got your buck teeth fixed, they are they straitest, whitest teeth I have ever seen. You really should say thank you to the boys one day for hexing you." I wanted to throttle him but refrained and instead counted the ten things that he could do with his tounge that could make me squirm. It was more pleasant than counting to ten. Took longer too. He went to wipe his hands off on his shirt (short sleeved and proclaiming a very dirty joke) when he turned and leered at me. "You know, there are other things that we can do with this oil."

"Shame you're incapable of acting on any." The boy could make hello sound like an innuendo, but he was all talk when it came to girls.

"Are you impinging my honor, dear lady?"

"No, just your potency." I shrugged and almost giggled as he puffed himself like a peacock that I know his father used to keep. Urgh. Bad topic, steer away. He took my foot firmly and wiped his hands on my calf where I couldn't reach without stretching uncomfortably, working it in with his talented fingers. And my friends asked why I kept him around. I stood and pulled off my tank top to reveal my small bathing suit top beneath. I heard a sharp hiss of breath behind me and smiled.

"Is that top legal?" He asked reverently, as I turned around. "I think I might get to like you muggles, dens of sin, all you of you. You get yourselves oiled up in very little clothing at the least provocation."

"Oh come off it, Draco, you have seen a bathing suit before?" I unbuttoned my shorts and were about to unzip them, when I realized he wasn't looking at my face anymore, but rather, his eyes were quite firmly trained on my fingers. I rather liked the fact that I could get him so flustered.

"A bathing suit, yes, that! That is two triangles held together with a piece of string." He flushed pink and turned away. "Who would have thought you to be so shameless, Granger?"

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I am wearing shorts." I temporized while I slipped out of my jean shorts to reveal my much shorter and tighter boyshort bottoms to my bathing suit. Draco turned back around and nearly choked.

"Those are not shorts! They are cut like womens undergarments!" He looked around frantically for something to cover me with and wrapped me in towel. He glared suspiciously at the boys two towels over that cast an appreciative eye. He pulled out his wand and tapped the string still visible on my shoulder. My bathing suit became more presentable and I smirked.

"And how would you know how womans undergarments are cut?" I asked it archly and he let the towel fall from me to mumble something about his mum and scars that would never, ever heal. "Race you to the waters edge?"

"Hold on." He pulled off his own shirt, and I watched appreciatively as creamy white skin flexed over a perfect balance of muscles over a lean frame. He tossed his white hair, now very rumpled out of his eyes and took off running, leaving me behind. It took me a moment to realize he was gone.

"Cheater!" I tore after him, my bare feet burning in the sand.

"Slytherin!" He yelled over his shoulder as he dove into the water. "I win!"

I decided not to remind him that he had forgotten to apply even muggle sunscreen to his delicate skin and he spent the next day in agony, red as a lobster. We couldn't go to the beach again and I read to him from Hogwarts, a History, a book we both enjoyed. He proclaimed that the aloe smelled a bit funny and tried to eat it when I put on his back, only to be disappointed that it was, in fact, edible and tasted horrible. I wore my bathing suit, changed back from what it was before and he declared himself perfectly content. All too soon it was time to get back to work.


End file.
